Issue 99 - Man on a Mission

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Man on a Mission

Charley Boorman is clearly a man who never likes to stand still and the past decade has seen him travel around the globe on numerous occasions, more often than not, on two wheels.

Neil Ridley catches up with him on the eve of yet another challenging motorcycling adventure to discuss a life in the saddle and a rather unusual incident involving whisky and a severed toe.

Now best known for being one of the UK's leading modern TV adventurers, Charley Boorman initially followed a path into acting in the footsteps of his father, the acclaimed film director John Boorman (Deliverance, Point Blank). A chance on-set meeting with Ewan McGregor confirmed a shared love of motorcycles and the two men became close friends, with a desire to traverse some of the most challenging and often dangerous trails across the globe. In 2004 they filmed the award-winning series Long Way Round, which took them from London to New York via Europe and Asia. Since then, Charley has competed in the infamous Dakar Rally, as well as travelling from Ireland to Australia using as many bizarre modes of transport as possible in the documentary, By Any Means. I catch up with him for a quick dram before he heads off on his next two wheeled adventure.

So tell me: actor, TV presenter or adventurer.

Which best describes you?

“Well I guess you could say I'm lucky that I've managed to make a career out of riding motorcycles really,” points out Charley, as he makes his final preparations for a month long ride acro...